While uploading data to, and synchronizing data with, a remote server over the Internet, a user may experience transfer delays. Typically, the bottleneck in the network occurs between the Internet Interface and the user's network interface device (“NID”) or residential gateway (“RG”). This creates problems for customers who need to transfer files over the Internet, but don't have enough bandwidth to support websites or file servers. In many cases, the user upstream bandwidth is extremely low compared to the downstream bandwidth—e.g., 20 MB/s downstream, 2 MB/s upstream—which makes it difficult to transfer a 1 GB file, for example. This problem is especially acute for the bulk of residential ISP customers with slower-speed services, such as 1.5 MB/s with an upload capacity of only 256 KB/s.
Moreover, for many users, the process of uploading files to a website is not intuitive. A relatively unskilled computer user, for example, might want to share some files (e.g., photos, etc.) with friends or family. Conventionally, that user would need to access the upload interface for the website, identify the files on his or her computer (or on an attached thumb drive, etc.), and apply any necessary security restrictions to the uploaded files. These steps can be difficult for many people, and as a result, such users may decide to forego the exercise entirely, thereby losing out on many benefits that the Internet can provide.
Thus, there is a need for more simple and/or robust file transfer solutions for Internet users.